


neither human nor alien life to be found

by Myargalargan



Series: Sukka Does America (Modern Road Trip AU Ficlets) [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Road Trip, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Road Trips, Sukka Week, Sukka Week 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:41:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26510812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myargalargan/pseuds/Myargalargan
Summary: Why would anyone go to a place called "Death Valley," anyway?Sokka and Suki bantering in the desert. Part of a series of short ficlets about Sokka and Suki on a great American road trip. Cross-posted from Tumblr.
Relationships: Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Series: Sukka Does America (Modern Road Trip AU Ficlets) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1926637
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	neither human nor alien life to be found

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Sukka Week 2020 on Tumblr! The prompt was "road trip," so I just added another ficlet to this collection. Originally published Aug 31, 2020 on @the-power-of-stuff.
> 
> Title, as with the others, from my own road tripping journals.

“Where in the name of god’s crusty brown earth are we?” Sokka asked, slumping down into the driver’s seat. 

They’d been driving for nearly an hour and had seen nothing but dirt and dust and these horrible shrubs covered in spiky leaves that were a clear warning to _‘abandon hope all ye who enter here,’_ as far as he was concerned. The place was called “Death Valley,” for crying out loud. What else did people expect to find here?

“Umm….here!” Suki pointed to a spot on the brochure map that was spread over her legs. Sokka, who was driving about 10 miles an hour on the winding, craggy dirt road beneath them, chanced a glance to his right.

“What?!” he cried suddenly, after seeing where Suki was pointing. That was the other side of the park from where they’d started! Either they’d somehow managed to traverse 100 miles in 1 hour while driving slower than Zuko with a car full of grannies, or the drive had been so dreadfully boring he’d fully just _blacked out_ , and in reality they’d been on the road for days. “Oh, no, wait, the map’s upside down.”

“Oh. Shoot.” Suki laughed a helpless little laugh and flipped the map around. “In that case I have no idea.”

Sokka rolled his eyes so hard his head lolled back onto the headrest. 

“I knew I shouldn’t have let you navigate us through a barren desert,” he said, glancing at Suki sideways. She swiped her hand in his direction, dismissive.

“I was trying to orient the map according to the direction we’re facing!”

“Suki, you are an incredible woman with many talents and I love you more than life itself, but I will never understand how a map that doesn’t have North at the top makes any sense to you.”

“Ugh, this is just like your whole _‘How can you possibly play games with the y-axis inverted? You don’t think “down” when you look up in real life!’_ thing,” she said, pitching her voice on the edge of frenzy. 

“You _don’t_! It’s not like piloting a fighter jet!” Sokka insisted, frowning when he realized his own voice was sounding a bit hysterical.

Suki just laughed.

“Stop that. Your impression of me was not that good.”

“I dunno, I thought it was pretty spot on,” she countered with a grin. “And by the way, we are _here_.”

Sokka looked over at the map again with one eyebrow raised and then looked forward again without a word. 

“What was that you were saying before? About me having many talents? Oh, look,” Suki taunted playfully, “is that East on the top of this map right now? Oh yes, it is!”

Sokka glared suspiciously at a cow standing beyond a wire fence off to the side of the road, just about the only sign of life they’d encountered since entering the park. The cow watched the trajectory of the car as it slowly passed, looking unimpressed. 

“Okay, I’ll concede your weird map thing. But the inverted y-axis is non-negotiable.”


End file.
